TUESDAYS OF TEXTURE | WEEK 47 OF 2016
Texture is everywhere.
It hasn’t been a big week for photography, but I did spend some times trying to get a picture of this old, Moroccan cache box. I think it was created originally to store incense. I had an incense burner in the same style, but I sold it a few years ago. I kept this piece. I just put it back into use to hold a bunch of small items that had been rattling around my end table.
I use many of my antiques. Old bowls to hold fruit. Ancient vases for flowers. As long as they are still sturdy enough to do their intended jobs, I let them be part of the world rather than putting them behind glass.
I’m not sure what you would call this texture.
It’s metal. Cold and hard. Not quite smooth, but not rough, either. Old metal. It’s been around. It is grooved, scuffed, and shows a bit of rust and abrasion. I’ve owned it since the early 1960s. It was an antique when I bought it, but the sellers didn’t know its history, only that “it is old.” Definitely right about that. It’s old. I think it was made in the mid 1800s, but possibly earlier.
It’s difficult to date brass. If anyone has an idea of its age, let me know, please. I think the handmade hinge on the back of the box may offer a clue.
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Categories: #gallery, #Photography
THE LAST REAPING OF THE CORN 
PATHS AND WALKWAYS 
WORDS THAT MARK OUR PLACE IN SPACE 
MOVING FORWARD ALONG THE RIVER 
SERENDIPITY - SEEKING INTELLIGENT LIFE ON EARTH 
Just think of the work that went into that box. It’s a beauty.
Leslie
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That’s what I love about it. The time it took for someone to cut the metal and the put it all together by hand. And it is is pretty good shape. Not perfect, but good and if I treat it gently will outlast me.
The incense burner that used to be its mate, on the other hand, was falling apart. The soldering of the feet was loose. The hinge was almost worn through (metal fatigue). It’s good to know when to let something go. I had it for 40 years and used it for it’s intended purpose — burning incense. It needed a home where someone could do the repairs carefully, with love. I can fix a lot of things, but not metal. I have neither the skills or the tools. My son is good with metal, but not brass. Old brass is brittle.
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I love this box! It is exquisite. There must be a web place able to help with the dating and purpose of this, I hope you find more information! Thanks so much for sharing this in ToT!
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Selling is easy, but dating is hard. Especially because in that part of the world, things were made the same way for centuries with very few changes. Brass is always hard to date. Pottery is MUCH easier, though pottery is also easier to forge.
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Have you considered taking it to Antique Roadshow?
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No thanks. I’m pretty sure I know what it’s worth (not that much except maybe to a specialized collector of old things from Morocco) on the market. I’d rather keep it. I have a lot of antiques. I enjoy them. I RELATE to them 🙂
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It’s certainly lovely. Great find!
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it was born to be a mystery box 🙂
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hahahaha more fun in mystery wink wink
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Didn’t we see your cache box in a “Midsomer Murders” episode?
Does Barnaby know about it?
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Anything is possible. But I’M not telling!
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